Leisure

Sharpe Pritchard has advised on a wide range of leisure projects for local authority clients. Many of our lawyers have direct experience of working within the legal team of a public authority, which means that we are uniquely placed to advise on achieving practical solutions and minimising risk.

Our expert team advises on projects ranging from wide scale PPP contracts to ‘design build and operate’ to smaller scale concession contracts for a single facility. The solicitors in our projects team are known for their innovative approach. We ensure that the objectives of a project are placed at the heart of the transaction and the law is a tool for achieving them, not a hurdle.

We advise on all aspects of the project procurement from the outset with the drafting and issue of the contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union, through to award and post award on contract variations and enforcement of the default mechanisms.

As local authorities become more innovative in designing new ways of working, it is vitally important to ensure that all activities are in line with employment law regulations, good corporate governance and human rights legislation.

We are well known to the leading leisure service providers, and have worked with a number of the key leisure consultants.

Recent work

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s complex redevelopment including a new academy building, leisure centre and public space;

South Oxfordshire Council and Vale of White Horse Council’s joint contract for leisure management of twelve centres, which included a mixture of leisure centres and other sporting facilities;

Wandsworth Leisure Management - the procurement of a leisure provider for the Council’s leisure facilities including seven centres and associated floodlit pitches;

Southampton City Council’s Sport and Leisure Partnership project for the outsourcing of the management and operation of three leisure centres and eleven outdoor facilities as well as a change to the management of a ski centre; and

advising a borough council on a substantial variation and extension of its existing concession arrangement for the management of its two leisure centres.

What others say

"Sharpe Pritchard offers outstanding advice and is committed to ensuring a robust and commercially sound contract is implemented"Chambers UK, 2015.

"They're very thorough, consistent and clear, and they have fast turnaround times. We've been absolutely delighted" Client.